Pink Floyd

After reviewing Mulholland Dr. yesterday, I did some more research and found that Naomi Watts, who played Diana Selwyn and Betty in the movie, was the daughter of Pink Floyd sound engineer and road manager Peter Watts. He contributed to Dark Side of the Moon by providing the laughter in “Brain Damage.” That said, I started to piece together the lyrics and music from the album with the movie. Whether or not it syncs up, I’ll find that out later. Going in the album’s order I’ll explain the connections I’ve made, regardless of whether or not it’s in the order of the movie.

Speak to Me/Breathe

In “Speak to Me”, we hear the line “I’ve always been mad, I know I’ve been mad, like most of us are. It’s very hard to explain why you are mad, even if you’re not mad.” Based on the interpretation that Diane isn’t right in the head, or “mad”, it’s hard to know how exactly she became that way.

In “Breathe”, we hear “Leave, don’t leave me.” Towards the end, it seems that Camilla comes and goes without any warning.

On the Run

I took the title as describing the action that Diane takes when the senior citizens chase her in the house. “Live for today, gone tomorrow.” Before Diane was chased, she was alive that day but after the chase, she killed herself and thus is gone tomorrow from existence.

Time

Because of the movie’s narrative structure, there is no grounded sense of time as we know it. “Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.” Here, every lead that Betty and Camilla follow try to get them closer to solving the mystery.

The Great Gig in the Sky

In Club Silencio, a girl “sings” to the recording before passing out/dying(?) from exhaustion. While she sings, it sounds so beautiful but it proves to be too much for her.

Money

I think the title reference should be obvious. “Money, it’s a hit.” In the last part of the film, Diane talks to the hitman and he asks if she has the money. The lyric can be rephrased as “Money? It’s a hit.” as the hitman agrees to do the job.

Us and Them

“Who knows which is which and who is who.” When the last part of the film begins, scenes are reprised with variations in dialogue and identity. Because of those changes, it’s a challenge to figure out which is which and who is who.

Any Color You Like

As there are no spoken parts, I find that this is the hardest song to interpret. True, there are colors that are more prominent in the film, like the red lamp, the blue box, and the use of green at Winkie’s. Any meaning you like can be attached to those colors.

Brain Damage

This is mostly about Diane towards the end as the appearance of Camilla and the senior citizens are not necessary considered “normal”. It’s mostly in her mind. “…thunder in your ear. You shout and no one seems to hear.” This is about the chase before Diane kills herself. “You rearrange me ’til I’m sane.” I believe this talks about how the film is edited. Because of how the events happen, we have to go back and rearrange them to make our own timeline.

Eclipse

“…when the sun is eclipsed by the moon.” The sun and the moon represent a duality between what is real and what is a dream. It’s a matter of figuring out what’s what.

It was just before dawn one miserable morning in late 2012. I went to school early with a lot of work ahead of me. It was along the lines of photoshopping strings out of a stop-motion piece that me and few guys made as an assignment. I figured that I needed to spend as much time as possible and that I needed something in the background. I had heard of The Wall as being a strange movie, according to some friends. Naturally I looked to YouTube and found a full-length print. As soon as I started, I couldn’t help but watch it. Later on, I used this same print to get me through my Computer Graphics class where I sat next to a similar looking wall used on the cover of the album. Coincidence? 100% yes.

Before watching the movie, I recommend listening to the original album so as to get a framework for what the movie has in store. Also, I recommend NOT watching it first thing in the morning for first-time viewers (I speak from experience).

We start off in a hotel room where our main character Pink has built a wall around himself and shut himself out. Told mainly in flashback, we get the first visual in seeing the war “When the Tigers Broke Free”. It’s not until “In the Flesh?” that Pink tells us that if you want to find out what’s going on, “you just have to claw your way through this disguise.”

As the movie goes on, we see the trials that Pink went through as a child, with a dead father, an overbearing mother, and an art-hating teacher. These experiences set up the next part of his story where Pink experiences love from someone other than his mother. This is coupled with a symbolic animation about two flowers engaging in sex and the dangers of it (again, not something to see early in the morning).

As a musician, Pink slowly sinks into a catatonic state and becomes comfortably numb. As he is taken away, we see him transform into the dictator Pink seen at the beginning. With his story already told, we return to the present at a rally not unlike those in Nazi Germany as Pink calls out for those who don’t meet his standards to be put up against the wall. After running like hell, Pink leads a march through the streets waiting for the worms. His soldiers transform into marching hammers. If anyone saw the Sandy relief concert (12-12-12), this animation was used with “In the Flesh?”.

The trial scene is one of the strangest animated sequences I’ve seen in a while with a scorpion woman, a hammer-head teacher, and a talking pair of buttocks who presides over the event after transforming from a worm in a wig. Again, not something for early morning viewing. The wall is torn down but we are left wondering if Pink really hallucinated the dictatorship or if really happened as it ends with a child holding a Molotov cocktail.

This is not your average musical. There is no dancing like you would find in a regular musical. The songs carry the story forward instead of appearing for the sake of being there. True, the album is rearranged for the movie with “Hey You” omitted and some songs moved out of order for a slightly different narrative. Symbolism is a big part of the story as shown in the editing, visuals, and, of course, the soundtrack. It’s not dialogue driven as most of it appears in the songs.

While this may not be one for the 1001 Movies list, it makes my top 10. Even if you’re not a fan of Pink Floyd, this is worth checking out. Last I checked, the YouTube prints are disappearing due to copyright. I found a DVD copy once but I regret not purchasing it as it was gone when I came back. There are ways of watching it, but I’ll leave that up to you to figure out. If you do find a copy online, don’t wait to watch it as it may vanish. This is more than a film, it’s Art.